WILD STREETS (GX4000)
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Publisher: Titus.
Developer: Titus. Released: 1990. Genre: Roaming beat 'em up. Other versions: CPC. Posted 18th May 2016. By Chris Weatherley © 2016 |
The head of the CIA has been kidnapped, so once again it's up to one man and his cat (?!) to save the day from a vicious gang of palette clones... er, I mean thugs, culminating in beating down their equally familiar looking boss. Martial arts (one punch only) expert James Taylor, his ammo-hungry colt, and his panther 'Black Virgin' set out on the wild streets to bash some heads and rescue the top rozzer. It's a typical generic set up to go with an atypically poorly made game. Side scrolling brawlers can be a good lark when done correctly, but when presented lethargically and without any consideration for variety it can become a tiresome sleepwalk, and when that includes an open passage to completing the game unchallenged, you arrive at the conclusion this game should have been called Mild Streets. Right, now I've got that pun out of the way, let’s move on before we all drift off into Noddyland and talk about the game.
Firstly I'll clarify what I meant by scrolling brawler in that first paragraph, and that is where the first of many problems ensue. Despite having the ability to create smooth hardware scrolling as seen in Dick Tracy and Robocop 2, Wild Streets goes with the usual Amstrad stable of flick-screens, albeit with a pretty but useless fading effect. This works with exploration games like Switchblade, but this kind of flat beat 'em up ideally requires scroll to prevent breaking up the action, of what little there is anyway. With a lovely title screen and no option menu out of the way, it's straight onto the streets to mash up some goons accompanied by a continuous Titus composition. However, mashing up the aforementioned goons is really just an option with this game, and becomes a game-breaker if you choose to take the easy route of jumping through each screen and each level. Yes, you can get to the end of stage 'bosses' without laying a punch if you so choose. Shoot the stage boss a few times, and move on. Once you have rinsed and repeated this for five levels, you come across your kidnapped mark protected by the end of game boss. Who by the way is yet another unidentifiable sprite clone. Another few bullets lays him to waste and that's it, escort the CIA chief back to the start... by walking back through five levels as the goons look on ignoring you.
Firstly I'll clarify what I meant by scrolling brawler in that first paragraph, and that is where the first of many problems ensue. Despite having the ability to create smooth hardware scrolling as seen in Dick Tracy and Robocop 2, Wild Streets goes with the usual Amstrad stable of flick-screens, albeit with a pretty but useless fading effect. This works with exploration games like Switchblade, but this kind of flat beat 'em up ideally requires scroll to prevent breaking up the action, of what little there is anyway. With a lovely title screen and no option menu out of the way, it's straight onto the streets to mash up some goons accompanied by a continuous Titus composition. However, mashing up the aforementioned goons is really just an option with this game, and becomes a game-breaker if you choose to take the easy route of jumping through each screen and each level. Yes, you can get to the end of stage 'bosses' without laying a punch if you so choose. Shoot the stage boss a few times, and move on. Once you have rinsed and repeated this for five levels, you come across your kidnapped mark protected by the end of game boss. Who by the way is yet another unidentifiable sprite clone. Another few bullets lays him to waste and that's it, escort the CIA chief back to the start... by walking back through five levels as the goons look on ignoring you.
Likely inspired by Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl". Then again... maybe not
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Solving an argument, Indiana Jones style.
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So, as you would imagine the challenge here is somewhat non-existent. However, if you choose to play the game correctly, by level 3 it gets rather hard, and dare I say, enjoyable. Identifying the end of level bosses is a task on it's own as they are all simply clones of the goons present on that stage. But the temptation to just jump over a few heads always looms, and so any hint of joy instantly vanishes. But at least the first part has an element of gameplay, of sorts. The second part as you walk back to the start with the CIA head-honcho is entirely pointless. Often if the gameplay is lacking in a game, good visuals can sometimes obscure the flaws, but unfortunately barely any of the GX4000's capabilities have been utilised, making it very similar to its CPC counterpart. There are differences nevertheless; all of the sprites are hardware based and the extended colour palette is used, and the fading effect is implemented (far to frequently for my liking), but the old-skool blocky style of the backgrounds and figures is not impressive for the console, and reeks of a lack of originality, especially looking at the improvements made to titles like the aforementioned Dick Tracy from it's CPC version. More could have been done aside from the re-drawing of the HUD, and to top it of the in-between level images are completely missing. They are present on the CPC version however. Very disappointing, very average, and the sprite flicker can become unforgivable as times. The term 'humdrum' sums it up well.
Things fare better in the audio department, but only slightly. A typical Titus Software tune plays continuously from start to finish, occasionally interrupted by the end of level jingle, and only stopping upon completion of the game, whereas you get a slightly different tune on a frozen screen with 'Game Over' as a reward for you jumping efforts. Again, lazy as hell. The tune is rather catchy in its own way, and you could give it merit until you hear the CPC version, and it becomes clear that everything is not quite right. It's faster in tempo, not as balanced and clashes with the limited sound effects of pops and bops when punches and gunshots are made. The CPC version does not do this, and puts the underline on the fact that the so-called 'better' console version is not the better one at all. It's the poorer game, and that's saying something for a game which was poor to begin with.
Things fare better in the audio department, but only slightly. A typical Titus Software tune plays continuously from start to finish, occasionally interrupted by the end of level jingle, and only stopping upon completion of the game, whereas you get a slightly different tune on a frozen screen with 'Game Over' as a reward for you jumping efforts. Again, lazy as hell. The tune is rather catchy in its own way, and you could give it merit until you hear the CPC version, and it becomes clear that everything is not quite right. It's faster in tempo, not as balanced and clashes with the limited sound effects of pops and bops when punches and gunshots are made. The CPC version does not do this, and puts the underline on the fact that the so-called 'better' console version is not the better one at all. It's the poorer game, and that's saying something for a game which was poor to begin with.
Fighting outside stately homes. Outrageous behaviour from the riff-raff
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Punching lamp posts: an authentic English pubcrawl pasttime
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With little to hold your attention, gaping holes in the gameplay, weak graphics and a nice-but-dim soundtrack, Taylor's rescue mission is a dull foray indeed. It's yet another example of a missed opportunity for the GX4000, as the structure of the game has a fit akin to Shadow Dancer meets Robocop, ingredients that could have made a really nice game. But no, it's a shoddy CPC game made into an even shoddier cartridge port, and possibly the worst game available for the system. You may have noticed I haven't mentioned the Panther much, reason being that it does nothing. Once in a session, it may attack a goon, but most of the time it lingers behind you searching for a place to p!ss or kip, and inside this game that wouldn't be much trouble. Wild Streets certainly could supplement your dosage of Night Nurse without issue. Sleep well.
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VERDICT
Visual: 5/10
Audio: 6/10 Gameplay: 3/10 Longevity: 1/10 OVERALL: 3/10 |